Antennas for receiving and transmitting electromagnetic wave communication are often provided in elevated structures for more efficient receiving and transmitting, such as communication in the 160 mhz to 960 mhz range. As the antennas themselves are mounted typically far off the ground, they are by their position inaccessible. When service or other maintenance is required, some antennas provide for a swing tube mechanism for bringing the removed end of the antenna close to the ground. By this functionality, the antenna itself is able to be reached by the serviceman. Antenna towers of this type are sometimes referred to as “tilt towers.”
Antenna tilt towers are known in the art for mounting an antenna to the removed end of a tower. Tilt towers allow a service man access to the antenna by removing a coupling and allowing a tilt or swing tube section of the antenna to rotate about the removed end of the mast or base tube from an antenna up (skyward) position to an antenna down (adjacent the ground providing access to the serviceman) position.
Antennas, themselves, however, typically need to be attached to a mounting member. More specifically, antennas are configured in a number of different ways. That is to say, antenna tower manufacturers may make antenna towers that may be adapted to a number of different antenna configurations (made by antenna manufacturing firms, not tower manufacturing firms), which configurations may attach to a tilting or rotating member of an antenna tower.
Heretofore, the antennas have been attached to the tilt members through a number of differently configured clamps, such as the following: CommScope, Inc. of Hickory, N.C. 28602, Part ## DB5091-3, DB375, DB365-OS, ASPA320, DB375-SP5, ASPR616, ASP617, DB365-SP7, DB365-SP9, DB370. Each of these clips or assembly clamps allows the user to attach one tube or pipe to another tube or pipe. One of the tubes or pipes may be held in a preselected alignment to a second tube or pipe. These clamps typically use multiple members and “all threads” and are sometimes called Andrew/Decibel Antenna Pipe to Pipe and Crossover Clamps.
Often, the single most time consuming procedure during the installation of a PTC Tilt-tower is the installation and alignment of the PTC antenna. Most PTC designs seem to use a clamp originally made by Andrews Corp. The clamp is called an Andrews Clamp and consists of a large number of all-threads, formed steel plate, nuts, and lock washers. The clamp must first be assembled, the antenna mounted, and the antenna aligned. This process may take between forty-five minutes and one hour.
In the prior art, on towers of great length, the Tilt-tube is broken into manageable lengths and connected by a flanges or slip joints. Normally these towers are shipped in three or more separate pieces and include an additional box of hardware. The coaxial cable, connector fittings, grounding material, and weatherproofing material are shipped separately. All of these pieces are then assembled in the field in all types of weather conditions and field environments.